I'm an atheist. Ask me anything!

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Renate

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Jun 4, 2018
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I grew up in a Christian household, but now I am an atheist. I will gladly give my perspective on any questions you may have about atheism.
 
As an Atheist while you may not believe in God do you believe in an after life of some sorts? or do you believe we just rot in the ground?
 
Blain said:
As an Atheist while you may not believe in God do you believe in an after life of some sorts? or do you believe we just rot in the ground?
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I do not believe in an afterlife. I believe dead bodies decompose into the ground, providing food for all kinds of organisms, which I find kind of beautiful in a way.
 
Renate said:
I do not believe in an afterlife. I believe dead bodies decompose into the ground, providing food for all kinds of organisms, which I find kind of beautiful in a way.
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Yes I suppose it can be seen as beautiful the whole circle of life thing. honestly even if I didn't believe in God I would feel comfort at least in some kind of after life, it is kind of depressing to live once even if it was a horrible unfair life and that is it.
 
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Hi Renate,

I hope this doesn't come across as being sarcastic, because while it might seem humorous, it is also a serious question.

Since you grew up with in Christianity, you have probably noticed that unfortunately, one of the Hallmarks of Christianity is that people who call themselves Christian often accuse each other of not being Christian, not having enough faith, and not being Godly enough. It is too bad that you see this in any Christian circle.

I have often wondered, and as I said, this is a sincere question. Do atheists also insult each other in this way? Did they accuse each other of believing too much in something, or not believing enough?

If accusations of not being Godly enough are always present in Christian communities, do such things happen in atheist communities as well?

Are there certain things that atheists will consistently insult each other over?

I am truly curious about this, because the things I described are what make me the most discouraged as a Christian.

Thank you for being open to my questions--looking forward to hearing your answers.
 
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seoulsearch said:
Hi Renate,

I hope this doesn't come across as being sarcastic, because while it might seem humorous, it is also a serious question.

Since you grew up with in Christianity, you have probably noticed that unfortunately, one of the Hallmarks of Christianity is that people who call themselves Christian often accuse each other of not being Christian, not having enough faith, and not being Godly enough. It is too bad that you see this in any Christian circle.

I have often wondered, and as I said, this is a sincere question. Do atheists also insult each other in this way? Did they accuse each other of believing too much in something, or not believing enough?

If accusations of not being Godly enough are always present in Christian communities, do such things happen in atheist communities as well?

Are there certain things that atheists will consistently insult each other over?

I am truly curious about this, because the things I described are what make me the most discouraged as a Christian.

Thank you for being open to my questions--looking forward to hearing your answers.
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Hi seoulsearch,

What a very interesting question! I do not know of anything that atheists insult each other over. I have never heard an atheist say that another atheist believed too much in something, or too little for that matter. What does happen sometimes is that someone might point out a that someone has a cognitive bias, or is making assumptions that are unsubstantiated. That's not really insulting though, it is usually constructive criticism.
 
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Thank you so much for your honest and open reply. I can definitely see where there might be arguments about logic and fallacies.

I had an atheist friend in college who very much believed in the value of human life, seeing as she saved mine.

I believe that God loves all people, and while I know as Christians there are some things we believe that the world will never agree with, I become very distraught at seeing Christian insult each other more than any other groups I have witnessed.

Maybe that is something that we can learn from you, to be a little more accepting of each other.

I hope you won't be offended by this, but God bless you and have a wonderful day! Thank you very much for answering my questions.
 
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Blain said:
Yes I suppose it can be seen as beautiful the whole circle of life thing. honestly even if I didn't believe in God I would feel comfort at least in some kind of after life, it is kind of depressing to live once even if it was a horrible unfair life and that is it.
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I am not afraid of death. Dying, yes, because it is probably painful, but not death. If your mind simply ceases to exist, there is nothing to fear. It is exactly like the billions of years before you were born, just no experience at all.

Yes, life is short, and I understand how you could think it is depressing to only live once. But to me it gives me incentive to live a good life now, and enjoy it as much as possible.

I can also see that an afterlife is a comforting idea, especially if your life is not great. But to me, comfort is not a good reason to believe something.
 
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Why do some atheists get so bent out of shape about what Christians believe and try to argue with Christians all the time? If we are wrong, why are they arguing with us? We are still going to be wrong, or they are still going to be wrong, but nobody's mind is ever changed. Who benefits?

So far the best explanation I can come up with is some atheists are really bored and need something to do. Perhaps you know some argumentative atheists and you can give a better reason for this.
 
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The reason I ask is because I have seen a lot of trolls in my time online, but I have never been able to figure out why they troll. The best explanation I can come up with is sheer boredom, and I can think of so many better things to do with my bored time than start arguments...
 
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Lynx said:
Why do some atheists get so bent out of shape about what Christians believe and try to argue with Christians all the time? If we are wrong, why are they arguing with us? We are still going to be wrong, or they are still going to be wrong, but nobody's mind is ever changed. Who benefits?

So far the best explanation I can come up with is some atheists are really bored and need something to do. Perhaps you know some argumentative atheists and you can give a better reason for this.
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Of course everyone has their own reasons. One of the reasons I've heard is that some atheists are frustrated by some Christians pushing their beliefs on others. For example, some Christians are trying to get schools to teach the creation story and not evolution, or trying to prevent gay couples from getting married, or women from getting abortions.

Another reason might be that they just want to convince people that they are right, and they think arguing is a good way to do that. Personally I don't think arguments work, but debates can. I myself changed my mind by having and watching debates, among other reasons.

And there are always some trolls, who don't have anything better to do.
 
Scripture says my salvation, deliverance, and help comes from the LORD, and I suppose that you do not believe that you need any of these, but from whence do you believe (as atheism is a as much a 'religion') comes justice or ever-increasing glory, which things are also written comes from the LORD? Do you neither expect nor hope for either of those?
 
Mem said:
Scripture says my salvation, deliverance, and help comes from the LORD, and I suppose that you do not believe that you need any of these, but from whence do you believe (as atheism is a as much a 'religion') comes justice or ever-increasing glory, which things are also written comes from the LORD? Do you neither expect nor hope for either of those?
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Atheism is not a 'religion', it is a lack of belief in God(s). It is as much a religion as "not playing football" is a sport. I believe justice comes from people. If you mean ultimate justice, as in punishment for a serial killer who got away with his crimes or something, I don't think there is any. Life is not fair. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by ever-increasing glory (English is not my first language), but I don't think it exists either.
 
Renate said:
Good question! I think there are many Christians who do not personally know any atheists, and I want to show them where I'm coming from. I think it is always good to hear multiple perspectives.
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Are you aware that people will try to convert you?
 
Renate said:
Yes I am aware. If people can give me a good reason to convert, I will reconsider my position.
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I am sure you have already heard all the reasons.

What do you think constitutes a Christian? What makes a Christian different from a person who is not a Christian?
 
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